Castle School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 132133 Inspection date 23/11/2009 Inspector Amanda Jane Tyson

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Type of setting Childminder to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has been registered since 1999. She lives with her husband, two children aged 11 and seven, and her mother who works as her registered assistant. The home is situated in Berrylands, Surbiton which is within walking distance of local shops, schools and parks. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has five dogs, four cats and two guinea pigs.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register for a maximum of five children aged under eight years; of these three may be within the early years age range, of whom one may be aged under one year at any one time. There are currently four children on roll, of whom three are within the early years age range. The childminder attends a local carer and toddler group on a regular basis. She is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder's well organised and inclusive home environment, along with her enthusiasm and sound knowledge of child development, ensures that children are happy and secure. Overall, children are well safeguarded by operational policies and procedures, but an oversight in relation to ensuring that written parental consent is obtained prior to non-prescribed medication being administered to children means that a breach of regulation has occurred. Strong partnerships with parents, coupled with her well-developed observation skills, ensures that the childminder knows the children individually very well. Activities are exciting, challenging and very much based on children's current and developing interests. As a result they are making good progress in their learning. The childminder's consistent use of self-evaluation, and commitment to ongoing professional development demonstrates strong capacity for improvement.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 obtain prior written parental permission before any medication is given to children (Promoting good health). 04/12/2009

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 further improve safeguarding procedures by implementing a more robust system for monitoring children's welfare. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Overall, the childminder has a sound understanding of her responsibilities to safeguard children; she keeps up to date with legislative changes by attending regular training and knows what steps to take if she has concerns about a child. However, although all accidents are recorded no matter how minor, similar injuries sustained outside of her care are not routinely noted which raises the possibility of a delay in noticing possible concerns through emerging patterns. The childminder ensures vigilance when out and about in the community, particularly in environments where children come into contact with un-vetted adults. Potential hazards within the home are identified, and effective steps are taken to reduce the possibility of accidents. There are excellent procedures in place to ensure a speedy reunion between children and parents in the event of an emergency situation, and between children and herself in the event of a child becoming lost; she carries

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the early years provision

identification and emergency contact details for herself and the children when on outings and children wear a tag detailing her mobile number. However, although the childminder conducts risk assessments prior to taking children on outings, her written plan for responding to a lost child situation is generic and does not differentiate between venues, such as a wide open space and a shopping mall. Nonetheless, the childminder recognises that this information needs updating to reflect what she would do in practice.

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the early years provision

Records and documentation required for the safe and efficient management of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) are mostly in place and well maintained. Accidents and administered medication are all recorded. A notice board displays certain documents, such as the childminder's registration certificate and the complaints procedure. However, although the childminder obtains written parental consent prior to administering prescribed medication to children, the same is not in place for non-prescribed types, such as Calpol. This is a breach in regulation, although it is noteworthy that the dose is always recorded and parents do sign to acknowledge the entry on arrival at the end of the day.

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the early years provision

Equality and diversity is very successfully promoted through the strong and communicative relationships between the childminder and parents, and through the availability of good quality anti-discriminatory play resources. Parents are kept very well informed on a day to day basis of children's levels of enjoyment and achievement and the childminder communicates with children's other EYFS providers, such as school teachers, to support their progress and development. The childminder's natural reflective practice means that self-evaluation is continuous and this drives improvement. The childminder is proactive in her strive for achieving excellence and this is well demonstrated by her recent visits to 'outstanding' providers to see for herself what excellence looks like. She is highly committed to ongoing professional development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children keep healthy and physically active through plenty of outdoor play and visits to indoor venues. They enjoy throwing themselves around in foam and ball pits, and practising balancing and coordination skills on specialist apparatus. The childminder enthusiastically exploits unexpected play and learning opportunities, for example when it snows; this year children made an igloo and were introduced to Arctic habitats in addition to more traditional 'snow' activities. Children enjoy digging and growing their own fruit and vegetables in the garden and the childminder is now considering building on their developing interest by creating a small allotment. Garden equipment, such as bikes and cars, which are supplemented with road cones, encourage pedalling skills and an awareness of road safety; again the childminder is planning to extend this further with a set of toy traffic lights. Children experiment with sand, water and even leaves in the

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and outcomes for children

outdoor trough. Children's interest in healthy and culturally diverse food is fostered through cooking activities, such as making pizzas from a selection of toppings and when the childminder prepares a Chinese meal to mark the New Year celebrations. Children learn the importance of hand washing as they help to care for the childminder's menagerie of pets. Children use knives and scissors with developing competence and their understanding of safety is delightfully demonstrated when they carefully strap dolls into high chairs.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder's knowledge and understanding of children's individual interests is used exceptionally well to encourage less developed areas. For example, children are keen to walk, rather than ride in the buggy, if the doll's pram is taken out with them. She plans specific activities and outings, such as visiting the motor show to link with their interest in cars. Children make connections between their play and real experiences because resources, such as wooden spoons, are realistic. They learn about the working world as they help to load the dishwasher and washing machine, and use weighing scales during cooking activities which further encourages numeracy skills. The childminder recently attended a training workshop focussing on 'Letters and Sounds' which informed her of the importance of providing opportunities for very young children to differentiate between everyday sounds in preparation for phonics. Most activities now include elements

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and outcomes for children

of listening and responding to sounds, for example toddlers enjoy experimenting with a set of different bells for sustained periods.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has recently begun to use observation and assessment to guide and inform planning and has made an excellent start. Observations are astute and used well to identify next steps for learning which are then skilfully followed through to encourage further progression. For example, a child's fascination with using their fingers to twist and turn knobs, to explore paint and to build with small construction pieces are accurately linked to well developed fine motor skills. She then identifies their readiness to use a paintbrush in preparation for the next step to pencil control. These records show very clearly that children are making good progress in their learning and development. Those within the early years age range are particularly keen to engage in role play with later years children. Games, such This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 as 'schools', encourage writing skills, and active learning, such as this, helps to

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and outcomes for children

close the achievement gap between boys and girls. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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